An alleged burglary attempt at the EconoLodge on East Aspen Drive was thwarted Saturday night by the motel owner.

Dilip Nanji told Russellville Police officers he and his wife were working at the motel at around 9:45 p.m. when a man with a dark cloth obscuring his face entered the lobby through a side door. The suspect was allegedly carrying a hammer in his right hand and told the two to "give me your money and nobody will get hurt."

Nanji then pulled out a hammer of his own, according to the police report, and the suspect fled, shattering a back door as he ran.

A couple driving by the motel on East Aspen told officers they witnessed the suspect run east out of the parking lot. Police searched the premises but were unable to locate the suspect.

Crank call

A 44-year-old Pottsville woman told Pope County deputies she was awoken just before 4 a.m. Tuesday morning by an unidentified caller, who allegedly claimed the woman's son had been seriously injured in a traffic accident. The victim asked where her son was, and the caller allegedly told her he had been taken to Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center.

The mother told officers she then called the hospital, where an employee said no one by her son's name had been admitted. She then called 911 and was informed no serious accidents had transpired that night.

Finally, the mother called her son at his apartment and found him safe and sound, groggily answering her phone call. After a police report was filed, the call was allegedly traced to an Atkins woman. No contact has as yet been made with the suspect, and the victim was advised of follow-up procedures.

County burglaries

Two burglaries were reported in Pope County over the weekend. A 52-year-old Russellville woman told officers her home on Sandstone Drive was ransacked after someone forced entry through the front door. Clothing, jewelry, an Arminus .357 magnum revolver, ammunition and a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol were allegedly stolen. The revolver was entered into criminal databases as stolen.

The stolen items and damage to the door were valued at $875.

A Crow Mountain residence was allegedly broken into through a window on Friday morning. Items allegedly stolen include a Ruger pistol, a knife, $240 in cash, a watch and jewelry.

Job dispute

A 51-year-old London woman told police Friday that her husband's cousin went to her boss' residence and attempted to get her fired from her job. She claims the man told her boss that she and her husband were using Entergy land illegally.

The boss allegedly told the man he would not fire the woman based on his statement, to which the man replied he was sending a letter to the chief executive officer of Entergy.

Stating the obvious

Two mailboxes on Highway 326 were vandalized over the weekend. One of the damaged mailboxes contained a note that read, "I know where you live," according to the owner of the residence.